Valve.



J. W. GAMBLE.

VALVE.

-APPL|CATION FILED JAN-[2.1914- Patented Mar. 28,1916.

LEWMQQm JOSEPH W. GAMBLE, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR T0 HARRISON SAFETY BOILER WORKS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A COPARTNERSHIP OF PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE-- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. GAMBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valves and is di rected to the provision of a pressure-reducing valve of an improved construction which is reliable in operation, which maintains a substantially constant pressure of the steam flowing from the valve, which may be manufactured at comparatively low cost and with which the pressure of the steam flowing from the valve may be regulated as deslred. Preferably the valve has the passageway therethrough controlled by a plurality of independently movable valve-members each of which is provided with a spring for holding it yieldingly upon its seat. The tension of all of the springs of the several valve-members isadjustable simultaneously from outside the casing of the valve to regulate as desired the pressure of the steam passing through the valve. Also, each movable valve-member is connected to an auxiliary valve-member which is subjected to atmospheric pressure and which serves as a balancing means for the main valve-member.

I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical section partly in elevation of the valve and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section.

Referring to these drawings, the valve comprises a casing 3 having inlet and outlet openings 4 and 5 formed therein. Within the casing is a valve-deck 6 in which a plurality of openings are formed. Each of these openings is provided with a casing 7 in the form of a cylinder. The lower portion of the cylinder 7 may be threaded to coact with threads in the wall of the opening in the deck 6 to mount the cylinder upon the deck. The casing 7 is provided with a port 8 intermediate its ends. Within this cylinder 7 is a movable valve-member formed in two parts which are connected together so that the two parts move in unison. The lower of these two parts is hollow as shown at 9. The upper part is solid as Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Mar. as, 1916.

Application filed January 12, 1914. Serial No. 811,534.

shown at 10. These two parts are connected together by connecting portions 11 but be tween them 1s a port. When this port is in almement wlth the port 8 in the cylinder 7, steam may pass from the inlet side of the valve through the port 8 in the cylinder 7 and the port in the valve-member and through the hollow part 9 of the valve-member to the space below the deck 6 and then out through the outlet 5 of the valve. A stop 12 1s provided for arresting downward movement of the valve-member in such positlon that its port is in alinement with the port 8 1n the cylinder 7. A stop 13 is provlded for arresting upward movement of the valve-member in such position that the port 8 is closed by the part 9 of the valvemember.

Each of the several valve-members constructed 1n the manner above described is provided with a spring 14 for positioning it. This sprlng bears upon the upper end of the valve-member and the upper ends of all of the springs 14 are engaged by a pressure plate 15. This pressure plate has a central threaded opening which receives a threaded shaft 16 extending upwardly through the top of the valve casing. Any suitable means is provided for rotatingv shaft 16 from outside the casing of the valve; in the present instance, a hand-wheel 17 is shown for this purpose. Rotation of pressure plate 15 when shaft 16 is rotatedis prevented by a plurality of guide rods 18 mounted on the valve'deck and extending through openings in the pressure plate 15.

Each of the movable valve-members is subjected to atmospheric pressure. For this purpose, each movable valve-member is connected to an auxiliary valve-member 19. The connection includes a rod 20 having a universal joint 21 therein. The auxiliary valve-member 19 is movable in a vented cylindrical chamber provided therefor in the top plate of the casing of the valve. Means may be provided for sealing the auxiliary valve-member 19 with steam or with water as desired. When the same is sealed with steam, steam may be led into a groove 22 on the periphery of auxiliary valve-member 19, between the piston rings 23 shown, or between piston rings on member 19 and the main valve chamber. Such grooves 22 may be formed on each of the members 19, and

steam led to the sameby'pass'ages 24, connccting with a recess 25in the casting, to which steam may be supplied.

- With the valve constructed in the manner above described and connected in the pipe supplying steam to a low pressure turbine or other device, the valve serves as a pressure-reducing valve. The steam passes through the inlet opening 4, ports 8 and parts 9 of the several valve-members to the outlet side of the valve and as the pressure on the outlet side of the yalve increases, it acts upon the parts 10 of the valve-members to cause upward movement of the valvemembers against the tension of their springs 14. As the valve-members are moved upwardly thus, they close the ports 8 more and more so that the flow of steam through these ports is more and more restricted. This action continues until a balance of the forces is secured. Any rise of pressure in the outlet side of the valve is accompanied by a rising movement of the valve-members and further restriction ofthe ports 8 and a fall of thepressure at the outlet side of the valve-member-is accompanied by movement of the valve-members to open the ports 8 wider. The pressure of the steam at the outlet side of the valve will therefore be maintained substantially constant and the extent of reduction of the pressure of the steam in passing through the valve may be as great as is desired. The pressure to which the steam is reduced may be regulated as desired by changing the tension of the springs 14:- This may be done from outside the casing of the valve by merely turning the hand-wheel 17 to raise or lower the pressure plate 15. Lowering the pressure plate raises the pressure of the steam at the outlet of the valve and raising the pressure plate 15 lowers the pressure of the steam at the outlet 5. It will be noted that the pressure of the steam upon the upper faces of the parts 10 of the valve-members is balanced at all times 'by the pressure of the steam on the lower faces of the auxiliary valve-members 19, these two surfaces being of the same area. The movements of the valve-members are therefore due to the relation of the steam pressure upon the under surfaces of the parts 10 of the valve-memhers-and the atmospheric pressure upon the upper faces of the auxiliary valve-members 19, together with the pressure of the springs 14.

The construction above described possesses the further advantage that with slight changes in the proportioning of certain of the parts it may be employed as a flow valve for closing the passageway for steam through the valve on failure of the steam supply and the consequent formation of a vacuum. When the valve is to act as a flow .valve, the various valve-members are set so that the ports 8 are normally closed by pistons 10, steam entering the casing in this case by the passage 5 instead of passage 4, as in the pressure reducing use of the valve. As long as there is suflicient pressure below pistons 10 the latter are held raised and the steam passes through ports 8 to the outlet at 4. s soon as a vacuum is formed below deck 6, or the pressure there is insufiicient to hold up the valves, the latter are closed by springs 14 and the atmospheric pressure acting on the pistons of auxiliary valvemembers 19.

It will be understood that if it be desirable to do so, each of the movable valvemembers may be provided with a dash-pot to steady its movements, such dash-pot being preferably-arranged in axial alinement with and below the movable valve-member. Such a dash-pot is shown in Fig. 1 of i he drawings at 26.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A pressure reducing valve comprising a casing, a deck therein separating the inlet .and outlet chambers thereof, a cylinder mounted in an opening in said deck, with a port on the inlet side thereof, a valve member in said cylinder comprising a solid portion positioned above the cylinder port and a hollow portion connected thereto with a port between said portions, said hollow portion positioned below said port and adapted to close said cylinder port on the rising of the valve, means for balancing said valve, and means for normally positioning said valve with said cylinder and valve ports in alinement, said valve being adapted for use as a. flow valve by setting said positioning means to normally close said cylinder port by the solid portion of said valve member, and using the inlet chamber as the outlet chamber and vice versa, substantially as set forth.

2. A valve comprising a casing having inlet and outlet chambers, a deck therein separating said chambers, a ported cylinder extending through said deck, a valve member in said cylinder, comprising a solid upper portion and a tubular lower portion spaced therefrom with a portbetween said portions, an auxiliary valve member connected to the upper side of said solid portion, having its upper side subjected to atmospheric pressure, the lower side of said auxiliary valve and the upper side of said solid portion of said main valve being subjected to the pressure in said inlet chamber, and a spring tensioned to equalize the desired reduced pressure in the outlet chamber for positioning said main valve with its port below said solid portion of said main substantially as set forth.

3. A pressure reducing valve comprising a casing, a deck therein separating the inlet and outlet chambers thereof, a plurality of cylinders mounted in openings in the deck,

each provided with a port on the inlet side thereof, a valve-member in each cylinder, a ring secured to each valve-member in line therewith, spaced below therefrom to provide a port, said rings being adapted to close the coacting cylinder ports, a spring coacting with each valve-member to position the same, a plurality of auxiliary valvemembers each alined with one of said valvemembers, the adjacent sides of the main and auxiliary valve-members being subjected to 15 This specification signed and witnessed 20 this 7th day of January, 1914.

JOSEPH W. GAMBLE.

Witnesses:

ROBERT G. CLIFTON, M. M. FULTON, Jr. 

